We decided to travel with only one small carry on a piece per person this year. I was doubtful. We would be in Bhutan in the winter, Norway, climb Mt. Fuji and scorching hot Cambodia and fancy dinners in Croatia. Surely we would need more. We agonized over which pair of pants, which shoes, stuffed our bags to the max and took off.
One year later our bags are lighter and smaller than they were when we left and carrying less taught me a lot about life and what I want to take back from this year.
We “needed” much less than I thought. The need for a second pair of pants feels silly when you are carrying everything through a packed train. You can put together an astonishing array of clothing options with just a few pieces, which exponentially grows when you share with others. Having less really does give you the freedom to do more, see more, be more.
There are things that are made well are worth their weight in gold. Running pants with pockets, a wool shirt, stretchy light, fast drying travel pants, we each had a few things that we have loved and used until they literally are falling off of us. We learned to make things work, sow the hole, be ok with being wet or climb in sandals.
We learned the importance of art and things that bring you joy. We may be down to one pair of pants, but Isabelle has a volleyball in her bag, colored pencils and drawing paper. Lily has more makeup than I have at home and Traverse has never left the portable yoga mat and gained an exercise resistance band. We focused on the practical when we left, but underestimated the need for things that brought us joy. As a result we have more room for objects of joy in our bags and in our lives.
I learned to appreciate things that made me more connected or pushed me to learn. Audiobooks were my best friends and Aaptiv coaches were a daily part of my exercise routine. We also learned that spending a little up front on an in-country SIM card was well worth the expense letting us be connected all year.
We also learned from what we could not carry with us. I miss running into friends in the store, going to the same yoga studio, and the hum of a routine. And vegetables, oh vegetables. I don’t think of Alaska as a place of produce, but it is. The variety and size of a US grocery story is mind boggling. Japan has the biggest grocery stores we have seen in a while and I can’t help but purchasing another head of broccoli everytime I go. I think the only “things” I miss are jeans and a bulky sweater.
I am not sure this year would have had nearly the same impact if we packed up a collection of things and moved to another country. Today I look at my bag of things and think of all the excess, the opulence I carry with me and I am grateful for less. We can justify things for “work” or “comfort” and say we need them, but honestly we need so little.
When we return, I hope we can hold onto less, only bringing only the things back in that bring us joy, but I am looking forward to a salad with friends in a bulky sweater and jeans.
Lily’s pack before we left. She has probably outgrown half of this now.
My medical kit for the year.
Weighing stuffed animals before we left balancing the joy they bring with their size and weight.